New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Marking 50 years since the declaration of the Emergency in India, the Delhi BJP on Tuesday organised district-level seminars in seven regions across the national capital.
The party honoured individuals who were imprisoned during the Emergency (1975–77), a period often described as one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.
The events were coordinated by BJP MLA Gajendra Yadav, with co-conveners Rajiv Babbar, Pankaj Jain, MLA Harish Khurana, and state minister Sona Kumari. Senior BJP leaders addressed local gatherings and paid tribute to the resilience of those who fought for democracy during those turbulent 20 months.
At the Naveen Shahdara district office, BJP state vice-president and MLA Rajkumar Bhatia led the ceremony, praising the courage of former detainees in the presence of district president Vinod Kumar. In Chandni Chowk, state minister Vinod Bacheti addressed the gathering, highlighting how civil liberties were crushed and thousands jailed without trial. District president Atul Garg was also present.
BJP leader Rajiv Babbar took part in the Karol Bagh event with district president Virendra Babbar, honouring those who, as he said, “faced jail and injustice but never bowed before dictatorship.”
Similar tributes were paid in North East Delhi by state minister Kishan Sharma and district president U.K. Chaudhary, and in Keshav Puram, where BJP spokesperson Dr. Anil Gupta addressed participants alongside district president Ajay Khatana.
At Mayur Vihar, BJP leader Mahendra Ahuja led the honours with district president Vijender Dhama, recalling how press freedom, judiciary, and citizens’ rights were throttled. In Shahdara, a special seminar at Bal Mandir Public School featured senior leader Jai Prakash and district president Deepak Gaba.
They emphasised the importance of remembering the Emergency as a warning against authoritarianism.
Through these events, Delhi BJP reiterated its stance that the Emergency was not just a political misstep but a brutal attack on India’s Constitution and democratic values. Honouring those who resisted it, the party aims to remind the nation of the cost of silence and the value of freedom.
Notably, as the nation marks 50 years since the imposition of the Emergency in 1975, the BJP has launched a series of programmes across the country to remember what it calls the “darkest chapter of Indian democracy.”
Top party leaders and grassroots workers alike have come forward to recall the 20 months of authoritarian rule under then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
–IANS
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